The 90-acre lake, a rock dam and another 58 acres of land around the lake are being offered by the El Dorado Irrigation District.

The lake is home to a variety of water fowl and fish.

“You’ve got geese, herons, pelicans and egrets,” said John Thompson, of the Bass Lake Action Committee. “All the wildlife is coming through here to Bass Lake. It’s an asset to the community.”

Irrigation district officials said they no longer need the lake, which was used for water storage. As excess public property, it was first offered to public agencies.

The Rescue Union School District began negotiations with the irrigation district to purchase the entire property.

EID has stated it will only sell the entire parcel to one bidder.

“People wonder why a district with declining enrollment would want to buy land,” Rescue Superintendent David Swart said Tuesday. “Ten years from now, we know there is quite a bit of growth along this corridor, and it’s our responsibility to look for school sites for the future."

Swart said Rescue’s real goal is obtaining 14 to 20 acres for a future school site.

He said the district, which has special funding for land acquisition, does not want the rest of the property.

Rescue is talking with potential partners who might own the lake and develop a new park on the north and east sides.